5 Simple Steps to LinkedIn Job Search Success - CareerAlley

5 Simple Steps to LinkedIn Job Search Success - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. David Brinkley Linkedin is the Facebook of the corporate universe and anyone whos anyone has an account. Therein lays one of its biggest challenges everyone has a Linkedin profile and if youre not careful, your account will be just another one in the crowd. The go-to tool for business-related social networking, Linkedin provides a forum for both hiring personnel and job-seekers alike to post vacancies and source job opportunities. The home of digital rsums, cvs and profiles from people all around the world, this site is worth its membership in gold- and employers treat it thusly. With a few simple clicks, a potential employer can quickly retrieve all the information you provide on work history, accreditations and accolades, business affiliations and photographs. Its so convenient and in-depth its a little scary but dont be afraid with these simple steps youll be the boss of your profile and find yourself with more jobs offered to you than you ever thought! Heads Up: Your heading is the first thing you have to concentrate on not too hard though because too much is just too much. Let a few concise words be your guide and let them highlight the stuff youre good at and the area youre interested in. Dont try to summarize a lifes worth of you into that empty space; it looks cluttered and disorganized. There are 120 characters at your disposal, use them wisely and highlight your expertise. Educate With Your Education: You dont need to let your audience know that you aced 3rd grade art class keep this section up-to-date and relevant to your specialties and what you want to be known for. This portion of your profile should include High School College / University information complete with you areas of study and awards you received. This is key in networking at this level; members of your alumni will be able to connect with you and who knows? They might have some inside information on a job you could be interested in. Work It: A lot like your education information, where you have worked and currently work are facts that people who use Linkedin want to know. Use this to concisely show where you started and the progress youve made during your career but dont forget to be relevant. The lackluster wall of text itemizing every little thing you got paid for over that past 10 years is not going to impress or interest anyone. Your career is what youve contributed to substantially over time and thats what people want to know about. If You Like Me, Tell Everyone: Linkedin has a nifty little space for recommendations and whenever possible, get your associates to use the heck out of it! Now, if youve had your account for a couple years and youre still rocking your very first shout-outmaybe its time to do some spring cleaning. People read recommendations and take them seriously, so these need to be as recent as possiblepotential employers arent moved by that one great thing you did that one time eons ago. Activate Your Activity: If you dont actually use the networking site tonetworkyour profile will go stale and sink to the abyss of lost profile-souls. A little dramatic, we know, but true! You can post statuses, update your pictures, join groups, START groups, comment on threads all these lets your viewing public know that youre alive, kicking and eager. Someone thats active is more likely to be viewed and taken a lot more seriously who just throws some stats up and lurks. Use these tips and we promise you a fruitful AND fun Linkedin experience. Doesnt get much better than that! more Improve Your Job Search Network Abby Evans is an avid blogger who writes on everything from how to find jobs in Toronto to outlining the principals of how to write a killer blog post. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook